


Harry and Tom are Badasses

by AedanMaxwell



Series: Random Harry Potter Fics That Are Up For Adoption [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Good Severus Snape, Powerful Harry, Salazar Slytherin's wand, Sentient Horcrux, Slytherin Harry, Smart Harry Potter, Tom is sane and inside Harry's head?, Unrealistic chore expectations, kind of, no that's not a euphemism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 21:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12021816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AedanMaxwell/pseuds/AedanMaxwell
Summary: Most of Tom's sanity is stuck with the Horcrux in Harry's head, and so it gains a sentience. How would things be different if Tom taught Harry and Severus took him to Diagon Alley?





	Harry and Tom are Badasses

Harry glared up at Uncle Vernon. “You should let me use magic, sir.”

The man quickly turned an ugly shade of red-purple, “WHY SHOULD I LET YOU USE YOUR FREAK ABILITIES?!”

The boy stood his ground. “Listen, if you let me use it for chores, I can get more done every day. I promise not to use it for making meals.”

Sobering, Vernon considered the offer. “I will  _ teach you a lesson _ if I see any freakishness near our food or where the neighbors can see.”

“Yes, sir.”

The whale got in his face, “If any of the neighbors bring it up, your  _ freakishness _ is the only way you’ll be able to walk, boy.”

Harry resisted from reaching to wipe the spittle off of his face. “Yes, sir.”

“Now,” Vernon stood. “Go to your room so I can discuss this with Pet.”

Harry hurried to his cupboard, hearing it lock behind him. Relaxing onto his cot, he turned his attention inward. “ _ That was a genius idea, Tom! _ ”

He got a chuckle in response, “ _ I do have those occasionally, my child. Now, best get to sleep like the cow says. You have much to learn tomorrow. _ ”

Harry drifted off to sleep quickly, avoiding the bruises on the right side of his ribs.

 

* * *

 

 

Waking up to Vernon grabbing him by the back of his neck, he was tossed into the kitchen. Harry just managed to catch himself on the counter before he hit it, and he began to make breakfast. 

When Petunia left, she gave him his list of chores, and he paled at the length. He only snapped out of it when he heard the front door slam shut. “Mow the lawn, water the flowers, weed the front garden, clean the garage, clean the attic, dust the house, clean Dudley’s rooms, and make dinner for Vernon and his clients… Merlin’s beard!” 

Tom huffed, “ _ You’ll be able to finish it, child. I’ll show you how. Start with the the outside chores that can’t be done with magic. _ ”

Nodding, Harry went to go get the lawnmower out of the shed. After he had mown and put it back, he knelt to do the weeds, and he smiled when a few little garter snakes joined in to help him, and he began to make conversation, “~Hello, friends.~”

The one with yellow stripes nodded at him, “~Hello, Speaker.~”

The other snake, who had orange stripes, spoke up, “~Nagini told us to help you any way we could. Go inside, Speaker. We will finish out here.~”

Nodding his thanks, Harry left after telling them to wait to leave so he could catch some mice for them.

Harry went into the garage, and Tom told him some spells. Vernon’s goal was to be able to park in the cluttered space, so the boy began to cast. There were already shelves along the walls, so all there was to do was organise and put the bins on the shelves. He quickly filled the boxes, and Tom instructed him on spells such as  _ Wingardium Leviosa, Mobiliarbus, _ and  _ Tergeo _ .

The job was quickly done, and Harry moved onto the attic. It was a lot of the same, but in a back corner of the room, Harry came across his parents’ trunks. He cast a  _ Reducio  _ and put the shrunken trunks in his pocket. He moved on to Dudley’s room, hauling a bag of broken toys out to the trash, glad to have cast a feather-light charm on the bag. While he was outside, he dropped off the mice he had caught in the attic for his friends weeding the garden.

Last was the living room, and he just cast a room-wide  _ Scourgify _ . Making dinner was the easiest part of the day, having done the chores everyday. 

He made a three-course meal and had made pudding by the time the Dursleys got home. He had already closed himself in his cupboard again, and he heard Vernon lock it as he went by. Laying back and retreating to his mind. He was surprised to see it wasn’t the forest he was used to. “I hope you don’t _mind_." Tom laughed at his own pun. "I took the liberty of making it more comfortable.”

Harry looked around and hopped up on the leather couch across from the fire. “Where are we?”

“We’re in a recreation of Riddle Manor, little one.”

The boy practically bounced in his seat, “The  _ entire _ manor?!”

Chuckling at the boy’s awe he sat down next to the child, “Yes, little one. Even the library, down to every book.”

Biting his lip gently, green eyes met red, “Will you let me read them?”

“It depends on the book. Some are rather Dark, and I would wait until you’re older to read them, as they require a large amount of magic, and a wizard’s magical core grows and matures as they do.”

The Boy-Who-Lived hung on the Dark Lord’s every word. Tom mused to himself on how good of a student Harry will be. That night, Voldemort began to train Harry, making sure to emphasize the point that “Dark” spells can be used to save lives, and “Light” spells can be used to kill. He used the example, “Now, child. One thing they like to teach at Hogwarts is how Dark spells must not be used. But if you think about alternate uses for spells, the lines of Light and Dark fade. After all, can’t someone use  _ Wingardium Leviosa _ to drop someone out of a window, and can’t  _ Imperio _ be used to stop someone from hurting themselves or others until help arrives? After all,  _ Protego _ blocks most spells but not much can stop an Unforgivable.”

This in mind, Harry quickly found his niche in Defence spells and Potions, but was advancing quickly in every area that Tom instructed him in. Had things been different, Tom would’ve wanted to be a professor because of the insatiable need to learn in children like Harry. The way their eyes lit up when they got something right, and the fiery determination to do better when they got it wrong. Harry was devouring books as fast as the man handed them to him, and he rarely had to ask Tom for clarification on things. Knowing that Tom had taken all NEWTs available except for Divination, which he asked Harry to have at least basic knowledge in. The two studied Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Occlumency and Legilimency, the Dark Arts, Potions, Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Herbology, Alchemy, as well as giving Harry a solid beginning in music, how to turn into an Animagus, and they studied Care of Magical Creatures as much as they could without having the actual creatures. They also used books from James and Lily’s trunks. James had journals detailing his pranks he pulled with the Marauders, and Lily had some obscure books on Charms that even Tom was unfamiliar with, as well as journals on her own spells she invented. On Harry’s tenth birthday, Tom decided to teach Harry to Apparate. The boy-savior was a genius when it came to riding a broom, and it soon became apparent that because of his treatment from the Dursleys, he should be taught Muggle fighting and Harry asked, for the fun of it, to be taught fencing. Tom didn’t know how, but the two learned together.

 

* * *

 

 

When Dudley’s 11th birthday rolled around, Harry was pleased the Dursleys had to take him with them to the zoo. He was going through the reptile enclosure when Tom got his attention and told him to go to one of the snake terrariums. “ _ Harry, you have to free her. _ ”

Getting close to the glass, he whispered, “~Nagini?~”

The previously sleeping snake’s head shot up at her name, “~Harry?~”

“~Hello, Nagini.~”

The snake seemed to almost smile, “~How are you, child?~”

“~I’m alright. Tom has been teaching me. How long have you been in here?~”

Nagini thought for a second, “~I believe it’s been about two years.~”

Harry hissed, “~I told that stubborn man we should try and find you!~”

“~It’s fine, my hatchling. If you will please free me?~”

Stepping back, the boy wandered a few animals down,waiting for his opportunity. Seeing Dudley approaching, decided to have a bit of fun. True to form, Dudley began banging on the glass to get Nagini’s attention as he’d been doing with just about every other animal. As he hit the glass, Harry waved his hand and whispered, “ _ Reducto Minima. _ ”

It was just enough to cause a spiderweb of cracks to appear in the glass, and Dudley, too late to stop his hand, broke the glass. He fell into the tank as Nagini slithered out, causing complete pandemonium. He heard more than saw Vernon, and he Apparated away in the confusion so he couldn’t be blamed. Petunia found him by the gift shop near the entrance, and he was pulled roughly back to the car while Dudley was herded by his father. As soon as they got back, Harry was sent to the kitchen to make Dudley some hot soup, and was thrown in his cupboard afterwards. Casting a  _ Muffliato _ , Harry broke down laughing. Tom was doing the same in his head. “ _ That was genius, Harry! You are such a Slytherin! _ ”

Cancelling the charm once he settled down, he heard Petunia still comforting Dudley, and fell asleep that night with a smile. The next month, Harry was on cloud nine. He would be leaving for Hogwarts in a few short months, and he would be away from the Dursleys.

 

* * *

 

 

The day of his birthday, a knock came just after breakfast, and when Petunia answered it the first thing that happened was her shriek of, “YOU!”

Harry poked his head out of his cupboard to see a man in all black teaching robes despite the heat. “ _ Severus Snape, Potions Master, and my most trusted Death Eater and friend. _ ” Tom supplied.

He heard a deep, silky voice. “I’m only here for Potter,  _ Tuney _ . Step out of the way before I hex you.”

She immediately scurried out of the way, and opened Harry’s cupboard door to drag him out by his hair. “Take him.”

He was given a shove, and was only caught by a steady hand on his shoulder. Snape turned, keeping a hand on Harry’s shoulder, and walked out the door to a waiting car. The professor stopped at the end of the driveway. “I am Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts. I’m here to take you to Diagon Alley for your school supplies.”

Remembering Tom’s lessons on Pureblood etiquette, he bowed slightly. “I’m Harry Potter, but I’m sure you knew that.”

Nodding, he led Harry to the sleek black car. As Harry closed the door and strapped in he asked, “Not to be rude, but do they teach you how to drive a Muggle car in the Wizarding world, sir?”

Snape put the car in gear and smoothly pulled away from Privet Drive. “There are some of us who are taught to drive, such as Ministry officials who drive the Minister to his monthly meetings with the Muggle Prime Minister and some professors, such as myself, who are tasked with taking those children who are unaware of the magical community to introduce them to our world.”

Harry smiled, “I suppose it makes sense. Wouldn’t want to introduce them by making them Floo or by Side-Apparition. ‘Welcome to the magical world, don’t throw up on my shoes.’ You ease an unfamiliar situation with the practiced routine of riding in a car.”

Visibly surprised by Harry’s observations, the professor glanced at him. “Very astute of you, Mr. Potter. For growing up with Muggles, you have more knowledge of magic than I anticipated.”

“Not through any effort on their part,” Harry snorted. “I found my parents’ trunks while cleaning, and I read through their books and journals. I have to say, James was a rather disgusting person. Even as he grew physically, he continued to act childishly, and endangered student’s lives with his ‘pranks.’ He’s no better than a schoolyard bully. Lily, though. My mother was an amazing witch, and her theoretical knowledge of Charms was breathtaking, and her knowledge of Potions was nothing to scoff at, either. I’m sure you had some hand in that, Professor.”

Snape raised an eyebrow, but growled and swore loudly, hitting the horn when a taxi cut him off and he had to slam on the brakes. 

“You know that I was friends with your mother?”

Harry nodded, “Yes, but I would say more than friends, sir.” At Snape’s dark look he corrected himself, “I don’t mean to imply that you two were involved, sir. I mean that she thought of you as the brother she never had. She said so several times in her journals.”

The man’s breath hitched. “I regret that I never got to properly apologise to her.”

“Let me share with you something she wrote.” Harry could tell that Snape was wondering why he was revealing so much, and he wondered the same about himself. But he felt as if he had known this man his entire life. Maybe it was from all that Tom had told him about the man and all that he read in his mother's journals.

“These are her exact words: Severus Snape, you twit, I can’t believe that you dropped off of the map after graduation, only to reappear three years later, out of the blue, and tell me that my and my baby boy’s life are in danger and to go into hiding under the Fidelus. No hello, no sorry, no good-bye. You’re such an, excuse my french, Professor,” Harry cut in. “You’re such an ass. But I wouldn’t have you any other way, Sev. So in case I don’t see you... here is me telling you. I forgive you, I love you, and please take care of Harry should anything happen to James and I. Love, your sister in all but blood, Lily.”

Harry saw that Snape had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, and seemed to be barely hanging onto his composure as he pulled off the street to calm down. Turning to look out the window, the boy tried to give him a bit of privacy as the professor wiped his eyes. After a few minutes they pulled back into traffic and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron not long after.

Pulling the car into an alley, they got out. Harry waved a hand over himself, casting a simply Glamour. His hair was long enough to hide his scar, only just short of Snape’s length, so the Glamour changed his eye colour to a dark brown, and lightened his hair a few shades.

“You have a lot to explain, Mr. Potter.”

The two made their way quickly through the tavern to a brick wall in a back room. Harry bit his lip and grinned, “Can I do it, sir?”

He was given a nod of approval, and he tapped the bricks to part the wall. Despite him seeing memories when he practiced Legilimency with Tom, he was still in awe to see it for himself. 

“ _ Shut your mouth, little one. You’ll catch flies. _ ”

Harry immediately closed his mouth with a clack, and Snape chuckled. “First we shall go to Gringotts. Dumbledore gave me your vault key.”

The two made their way to the bank, and in a short time had a small pouch of coins. “Do you know the conversions?”

“17 Sickles to a Galleon, 29 Knuts to a Sickle,” Harry responded dutifully.

“Maybe you’re not completely hopeless.”

Smiling at the man’s sarcasm, he followed along as they purchased his supplies. He again surprised Snape with his knowledge of Potions ingredients, and had asked if he could buy several ingredients needed for healing potions and salves. The Potions Master agreed, and asked why, but Harry said to wait until they were alone to ask. They ran into Draco Malfoy while getting fitted for robes. While he had initially seemed like a pompous git, he told Harry afterwards that he was just trying to appease his father. Draco seemed eager to have a friend his father didn’t force upon him. The two agreed to sit by each other on the train, and finally they came to the last stop of the day, Ollivander’s.

They entered the shop, and after prattling on about Lily and James, Snape growled at the old man to get on with it, as he had better places to be.

After trying several wands, Harry took the latest one that Ollivander handed him, “11 inches, holly, with a phoenix feather core.”

Giving it a wave, Harry felt the rush of magic, and Tom whispered in his head, “ _ That is the brother wand to my own. I can feel it. The core feather comes from the same phoenix. _ ”

Harry ignored when Ollivander basically told him the same thing because he felt something calling out to him from a dusty corner. Wandering to where he felt the pull on his magic, he picked up an ancient looking wooden box. He walked back to where the two wizards were waiting and he held up the box. “I felt it pulling on my magic.”

“That, my boy,” Ollivander began, “is a wand made by none other than Salazar Slytherin himself. It is made of snakewood with a core of crushed Basilisk horn. It is said to have tremendous Healing abilities. Curious as the last to own it, I believe, was a member of the Gaunt line around the 1600’s.”

The young wizard took the wand out of the box, and heard the whisper of Parseltongue in his head. The wand grew warm in his hand, though not uncomfortably so, and he heard Tom, “ _ If you don’t end up in Slytherin I’m going to hack the Sorting Hat to bits. _ ”

Harry handed over the money for the one wand and two wrist holsters. Ollivander had insisted that they not pay for Slytherin’s wand, as it was honor enough to have found a new master for it.

Harry didn’t point out that he had really found the wand himself, and let himself be led out through the Alley to the Leaky Cauldron. They took a seat in the back after ordering some early dinner, and the dark man threw up some privacy wards. “Start talking.”

Knowing what the man meant, he sighed. “You saw how Aunt Petunia grabbed my hair and shoved me. I’m not treated well by them. I do all the chores, and they let Dudley beat on me. Uncle Vernon does as well when he’s drunk or angry. Often the two go hand-in-hand. It’s not that I can’t defend myself, but the punishments go on longer if I do.”

Sneering the older man leaned forward to get into his face, “Poor Potter has to do some chores.”

Harry was not backing down, and leaned in as well, “Use Legilimency on me.”

Dropping his shields, his eyes met Snape’s. “ _ Legilimens _ .”

Harry felt the Professor going through his memories with surprising tenderness, and he made sure to bring memories of the beatings and the chores to the forefront of his mind. Tom stayed back in the far reaches of Harry’s mind so Snape wouldn’t sense him, and the two sighed in relief when the third presence left his head. Three’s a crowd in a young mind.

“I apologise for how I treated you, Mr. Potter. Albus led us all to believe that you lived as a spoiled prince, and I admit I assumed you’d be a carbon-copy of your father.”

“That’s okay, Professor. Thank you for apologising. As for the Glamour, I had to adapt and overcome if I had any chance at surviving. I have to use Glamours to hide the bruises in school or teachers ask questions, and I get the brunt of Vernon’s anger. I’m also quite good at Healing.”

To demonstrate, Harry lifted his shirt and healed his bruised ribs. Taking in the information, Snape whispered, “I’m going to take you to Hogwarts with me. I cannot take you back to that house. Is there anything you need from there?”

Harry shook his head, “No, sir. I carry everything with me.”

Cancelling the privacy charms, the two ate in silence. Afterwards, Harry was led to the fireplace. “I will go out on a limb and assume you know how the Floo system works?”

“Yes, sir.” Harry confirmed.

Snape grabbed a bit of the powder, and threw it in. “Severus Snape’s quarters, Hogwarts.”

When the green flames died down, Harry did the same. He fell out of the fireplace and nearly landed in a heap on the floor. “It gets easier,” the professor stated.

With the wizard’s reassurance, Harry nodded and took in the new space. There was a dark leather couch across from the fire, and two well-worn wingback chairs on either side of the couch. The wall the fireplace was set in was completely covered in books, and Harry grinned at the thought of reading them. There were two doors that led to the bathroom and bedroom, Harry was guessing, and there was a small kitchen through a doorway opposite the fireplace. To the left was a door that Harry assumed led to the castle, and he was pleasantly surprised that it was all decorated in shades of blue and green, rather than all Slytherin colors.

“May I sit on the couch, sir?”

Snape waved him off while sitting in one of the chairs. “Go ahead.”

Harry paused, “Do you mind fur on your couch, sir?”

“What do you mean by that, Mr. Potter?”

“Well, my Animagus form is a fox, and when I’m relaxing I like to do so in that form. It also makes my cupboard a lot more comfortable.”

The Potions Master leaned forward in his chair, intrigued. “You’ve already completed your Animagus transformation?”

In response, Harry took a breath, and then jumped at the professor. He caught the bundle of black fur, and quickly adjusted so that Harry was sitting in his lap. “I do not mind you shedding on my furniture. I do so myself, occasionally.”

Harry yipped, and jumped back to the floor, turning into a human again. “What’s your Animagus?”

“A wolf.”

Harry bounced on his toes, “That’s really cool!”

The professor merely took out his wand. “I’d like to see where you are in your knowledge. Is that okay with you?”

Frowning, the boy turned his attention inward. “ _ Is it okay, Tom? _ ”

“ _ Show him, little one. _ ”

The green-eyed boy drew his own holly wand and followed Snape through the halls of Hogwarts to a large room that held a raised platform. “We’re going to duel, Mr. Potter. No lethal or permanent spells.”

The Boy-Who-Lived stood across from the dungeon bat of Hogwarts. They brought their wands up to their face, before whipping them to their sides. Bowing to each other, they made their way to opposite ends of the platform. Without warning, as soon as they turned spells were flying. Both Light and Dark spells came from both of them, and it ended when Harry doubled over, making Snape pause. Wandlessly casting an  _ Expelliarmus _ , the child stood, holding up Snape’s wand. “11 years old, and you managed to not only defeat an ex-Death Eater with a Defense Mastery, but also remain unscathed.”

Walking over, Harry returned the man’s wand. “Thank you for an excellent duel, Professor.”

Noticing a bruise around Snape’s wrist he grabbed the Professor’s forearm. “What happened?”

“One of your spells hit my shield hard enough to bruise my wrist.”

Harry immediately drew the Slytherin wand and murmured an incantation in Latin, smiling as the bruise faded. The Professor twisted his wrist to test the tenderness. “Surprisingly competent, Mr. Potter.”

They travelled back to Snape’s quarters, and the man said the password, “Morsmordre.”

Not able to hide his chuckle, and he elaborated at the raised eyebrow of the ex-Death Eater. “Not only would hardly anyone guess your password, but of those that do know it, few would likely be brave enough to say it aloud.”

“You know what that spell is?”

Harry tilted his head at the incredulity of his professor before settling back on the couch. “I know more than you think, sir.”

“And how much is that, Mr. Potter?”

“If I hit my majority in this moment I could hold my own against Dumbledore, if not kill him.”

Hearing the professor scoff, Harry smirked. “I also know for a fact you’re not an  _ ex _ -Death Eater. Should the Dark Lord return today you would be the first to return to his side.”

The man gave a pained expression. “The Dark Lord lost my services when he killed your mother.”

“He asked her to move aside. Multiple times, actually. She was determined to protect me, though. He took your words into consideration. You are his most trusted friend and Death Eater.”

Snape sneered at him. “How could you know this? You’re only a boy.”

“Because I told him.”

The two looked to where Tom was standing, semi-transparent, arms crossed, frowning at Snape.

Harry gaped, “You never told me you could do this!”

At this, Tom’s look turned sheepish. “I wasn’t sure if I could or not for sure.”

Rolling his eyes, Harry giggled at the dumbfounded expression on the professor’s face. “Tom?”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Two Souls Are Better Than One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13841754) by [AedanMaxwell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AedanMaxwell/pseuds/AedanMaxwell), [morbidcassanova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morbidcassanova/pseuds/morbidcassanova)




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